Representative Papers
Structured Payment in Pawnshop Borrowing: Mandates vs. Choice
This study addresses the trade-off between repayment flexibility and default penalties in pawnshop lending through a large-scale randomized controlled trial in Mexico City. We rigorously identify the causal effects and selection gains of mandatory versus self-selected structured repayment contracts. Results indicate that structured repayment reduces financial costs by 19% and default rates by 17.5%; however, only 11% of borrowers voluntarily opt in, with no significant evidence of selection gains. By innovatively disentangling treatment effects from selection mechanisms, this research reveals the practical value of substituting flexibility with structure while highlighting demand-side limitations. These findings provide critical empirical evidence for consumer credit contract design, demonstrating that although structured repayment improves outcomes, low voluntary uptake suggests behavioral or preference-based barriers to adoption.
The Dirichlet Process as sampling distribution
This study presents the first systematic investigation into the statistical properties of the Dirichlet process when employed as a sampling distribution and introduces a Bayesian inference framework for its base measure and concentration parameter. Treating the Dirichlet process as a data-generating mechanism, the authors develop a joint inference approach for these two key parameters by integrating Bayesian nonparametric modeling with Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms, leveraging observed histogram sequences. The proposed methodology is validated through extensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets, demonstrating its effectiveness and practical utility. This work addresses a notable gap in the literature by providing a principled solution to parameter inference in Dirichlet process models, thereby advancing the theoretical and applied understanding of this foundational Bayesian nonparametric construct.
Local Second-Order Geometry Induced by Deformation Maps
This study addresses the challenge of accurately characterizing the local second-order statistics of non-stationary random fields induced by spatial deformations. To this end, it proposes a tangent-space covariance model based on local linearization of the deformation mapping and derives, for the first time, a closed-form expression for its local spectral representation. By integrating Gaussian random field simulation with truncated singular value decomposition, the method enables efficient and accurate generation of complex deformation fields. When applied to ACDC cardiac MRI data, the approach successfully uncovers directional and anisotropic differences in myocardial deformation across diagnostic groups, significantly outperforming conventional metrics that rely solely on expansion or compression.
Equilibrium Stability and Uniqueness with a Large Number of Commodities and Patient Consumers
This study investigates the stability and uniqueness of general equilibrium in economies characterized by a large number of goods and highly patient consumers. By constructing a finite-horizon exchange economy through truncation of an infinite-horizon discounted additive utility model, the paper examines how the effective number of goods influences the relative growth rates of substitution and income effects. The analysis demonstrates that, under sufficiently patient consumers and preferences satisfying a proposed “preference diversification” condition, an increase in the number of goods amplifies aggregate substitution effects while attenuating income effects. This mechanism guarantees that all equilibria are locally tâtonnement stable, which in turn implies equilibrium uniqueness. The work thus provides a novel microeconomic foundation for well-behaved equilibria in high-dimensional commodity spaces.
Latest Papers
Structured Payment in Pawnshop Borrowing: Mandates vs. Choice
This study addresses the trade-off between repayment flexibility and default penalties in pawnshop lending through a large-scale randomized controlled trial in Mexico City. We rigorously identify the causal effects and selection gains of mandatory versus self-selected structured repayment contracts. Results indicate that structured repayment reduces financial costs by 19% and default rates by 17.5%; however, only 11% of borrowers voluntarily opt in, with no significant evidence of selection gains. By innovatively disentangling treatment effects from selection mechanisms, this research reveals the practical value of substituting flexibility with structure while highlighting demand-side limitations. These findings provide critical empirical evidence for consumer credit contract design, demonstrating that although structured repayment improves outcomes, low voluntary uptake suggests behavioral or preference-based barriers to adoption.
The Dirichlet Process as sampling distribution
This study presents the first systematic investigation into the statistical properties of the Dirichlet process when employed as a sampling distribution and introduces a Bayesian inference framework for its base measure and concentration parameter. Treating the Dirichlet process as a data-generating mechanism, the authors develop a joint inference approach for these two key parameters by integrating Bayesian nonparametric modeling with Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms, leveraging observed histogram sequences. The proposed methodology is validated through extensive experiments on both synthetic and real-world datasets, demonstrating its effectiveness and practical utility. This work addresses a notable gap in the literature by providing a principled solution to parameter inference in Dirichlet process models, thereby advancing the theoretical and applied understanding of this foundational Bayesian nonparametric construct.
Local Second-Order Geometry Induced by Deformation Maps
This study addresses the challenge of accurately characterizing the local second-order statistics of non-stationary random fields induced by spatial deformations. To this end, it proposes a tangent-space covariance model based on local linearization of the deformation mapping and derives, for the first time, a closed-form expression for its local spectral representation. By integrating Gaussian random field simulation with truncated singular value decomposition, the method enables efficient and accurate generation of complex deformation fields. When applied to ACDC cardiac MRI data, the approach successfully uncovers directional and anisotropic differences in myocardial deformation across diagnostic groups, significantly outperforming conventional metrics that rely solely on expansion or compression.
Equilibrium Stability and Uniqueness with a Large Number of Commodities and Patient Consumers
This study investigates the stability and uniqueness of general equilibrium in economies characterized by a large number of goods and highly patient consumers. By constructing a finite-horizon exchange economy through truncation of an infinite-horizon discounted additive utility model, the paper examines how the effective number of goods influences the relative growth rates of substitution and income effects. The analysis demonstrates that, under sufficiently patient consumers and preferences satisfying a proposed “preference diversification” condition, an increase in the number of goods amplifies aggregate substitution effects while attenuating income effects. This mechanism guarantees that all equilibria are locally tâtonnement stable, which in turn implies equilibrium uniqueness. The work thus provides a novel microeconomic foundation for well-behaved equilibria in high-dimensional commodity spaces.